Neisseria meningitidis is a Gram-negative bacterium which colonizes the human upper respiratory tract and is responsible for worldwide sporadic and cyclical epidemic outbreaks of, most notably, meningitis and sepsis. The attack and morbidity rates are highest in children under 2 years of age. Like other Gram negative bacteria, Neisseria meningitidis typically possess a cytoplasmic membrane, a peptidoglycan layer, an outer membrane which together with the capsular polysaccharide constitute the bacterial wall, and pili which project into the outside environment. Encapsulated strains of Neisseria meningitidis are a major cause of bacterial meningitis and septicemia in children and young adults (Rosenstein et al. J Infect Dis 1999; 180:1894-901).
Humans are the only known reservoir for Neisseria meningitidis spp. Accordingly, Neisserial species have evolved a wide variety of highly effective strategies to evade the human immune system. These include expression of a polysaccharide capsule that is structurally identical with host polysialic acid (i.e. serogroup B) and high antigenic mutability for the immunodominant noncapsular epitopes, i.e. epitopes of antigens that are present at the surface in relatively large quantities, are accessible to antibodies, and elicit a strong antibody response.
The prevalence and economic importance of invasive Neisseria meningitidis infections have driven the search for effective vaccines that can confer immunity across serotypes, and particularly across group B serotypes or serosubtypes. However, many efforts to develop broad spectrum vaccines have been hampered by the wide variety of highly effective strategies used by Neisserial species to evade the human immune system.
Capsular-based vaccines are available for prevention of disease caused by group A, C, Y and W-135 strains (reviewed in Granoff et al. Meningococcal Vaccines. In: Plotkin S A, Orenstein W A, eds. Vaccines. 4th ed. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Company, 2003). However, there is no vaccine approved for use in the U.S. or Europe for prevention of disease caused by group B strains, which account for about 30% of disease in North America (Lingappa et al. Vaccine 2001; 19:4566-75; Raghunathan et al. Annu Rev Med 2004; 55:333-5) and more than two-thirds of cases in Europe (Cartwright et al. Vaccine 2001; 19:4347-56; Trotter et al. Lancet 2004; 364:365-7). One reason for the lack of a group B capsular-based vaccine is that the group B capsule can elicit an autoantibody response in humans (Finne et al. Lancet 1983; 2:355-7), and the polysaccharide is poorly immunogenic, even when conjugated to carrier proteins (Jennings et al. J Immunol 1981; 127:1011-8). There also are potential safety issues for a capsular-based group B vaccine that is capable of eliciting autoreactive group B anticapsular antibodies. Therefore, recent group B meningococcal vaccine research has focused on the use of non-capsular antigens.
Outer membrane vesicle (OMV) vaccines have been proven to elicit protective immunity against group B meningococcal disease in humans (reviewed in Jodar et al. Lancet 2002; 359:1499-1508). Recently an OMV vaccine was licensed and introduced in New Zealand in response to a public health intervention to halt a group B epidemic that has been ongoing for more than a decade (Thomas et al. N Z Med J 2004; 117:U1016; Desmond et al. Nurs N Z 2004; 10:2; Baker et al. J Paediatr Child Health 2001; 37:513-9). Other vesicle-based approaches to immunization have been described (see, e.g., Cartwright K et al, 1999, Vaccine; 17:2612-2619; de Kleinjn et al, 2000, Vaccine, 18:1456-1466; Rouupe van der Voort E R, 2000, Vaccine, 18:1334-1343; Tappero et al., 1999, JAMA 281:1520; Rouupe van der Voort E R, 2000, Vaccine, 18:1334-1343; US 2002/0110569; WO 02/09643).
Immunization of children and adults with meningococcal outer membrane vesicle (OMV) vaccines induces serum bactericidal antibodies, a serological correlate of protection against disease (Goldschneider et al, 1969, J. Exp. Med. 129:1307). The efficacy of OMV vaccines for prevention of meningococcal B disease also has been demonstrated directly in older children and adults in randomized, prospective clinical trials, and in retrospective case-control studies. Thus, the clinical effectiveness of outer membrane vesicle vaccines is not in dispute. Such vaccines are licensed for use in children in New Zealand, and close to licensure in Norway for use in older children and adults, and are in late-stage clinical development for licensure in other European countries. An OMV vaccine prepared by the Finley Institute in Cuba also is available commercially and has been given to millions of children in South America.
However, the serum bactericidal antibody response to OMV vaccines tends to be strain specific (Tappero et al., 1999, JAMA 281:1520; and Rouupe van der Voort E R, 2000, Vaccine, 18:1334-1343). Moreover, currently available OMV vaccines are also limited in that the bactericidal antibody responses are largely directed against surface-exposed loops of a major porin protein, PorA (Tappero et al. JAMA 1999; 281:1520-7), which is antigenically variable (Sacchi et al. J Infect Dis 2000; 182:1169-76). Because of the immunodominance of PorA, the immunity induced is predominantly specific to the strains from which the membrane vesicles were obtained (Tappero et al., 1999, JAMA 281:1520; Martin S L et al, 2000, Vaccine, 18:2476-2481). Thus, OMV vaccines are useful for prevention of disease in epidemic situations caused by a predominant meningococcal strain with a single PorA serosubtype, such as the P1.4 epidemic strain in New Zealand (Baker et al. 2001, supra). However, there is considerable PorA diversity among strains causing endemic disease such as that found in the U.S (Sacchi et al. 2000, supra). Furthermore, even minor amino acid polymorphisms can decrease susceptibility of strains to the bactericidal activity of antibodies to PorA (Martin et al. Vaccine 2000; 18:2476-81).
The completion of genome sequencing projects for several Neisseria meningitidis strains provided a catalogue of all potential meningococcal protein antigens. Through a combination of bioinformatics, microarray technology, proteomics and immunologic screening, a large number of new meningococcal vaccine candidates have been identified (Pizza et al. Science 2000; 287:1816-20; De Groot et al. Expert Rev Vaccines 2004; 3:59-76). Among these numerous candidates is Genome derived Neisserial Antigen 1870 (GNA1870). GNA1870, which is also known as NMB 1870 (WO 2004/048404) or LP2086 (see, e.g., Fletcher et al. Infect Immun 2004 72:2088-2100), is an approximately 27 kDa lipoprotein expressed in all N. meningitidis strains tested (Masignani et al. J Exp Med 2003; 197:789-99; Giuliani et al. Infect. Immun 2005; 73:1151-60; Welsch et al J Immunol 2004; 172:5606-15).
N. meningitidis strains can be sub-divided into three GNA1870 variant groups (v.1, v.2, and v.3) based on amino acid sequence variability and immunologic cross-reactivity (Masignani et al. J Exp Med 2003; 197:789-99). Variant 1 strains account for about 60% of disease-producing group B isolates (Masignani et al. 2003, supra). Within each variant group, there is on the order of about 92% or greater conservation of amino acid sequence.
Mice immunized with recombinant GNA1870 developed high serum bactericidal antibody responses against strains expressing GNA1870 proteins of the homologous variant group (Masignani et al. 2003, supra; Welsch et al. 2004, supra). However, a number of strains that expressed sub-variants of the respective GNA1870 protein were resistant to anti-GNA1870 complement-mediated bacteriolysis. Although the cause of this phenomenon is not known, conceivably this may be due to minor GNA1870 polymorphisms, or due to strain differences in the accessibility of critical GNA1870 epitopes on the surface of the bacteria that result in decreased binding and/or complement activation by the anti-GNA1870 antibodies. The recombinant GNA1870 protein vaccine used in the above immunogenicity studies was expressed in E. coli as a His-Tag protein devoid of the leader peptide. The recombinant protein also lacked the motif necessary for post-translational lipidation, which may decrease immunogenicity (Fletcher et al. Infect Immun 2004; 72:2088-100).
The vaccine potential of a combination of recombinant PorA and recombinant GNA1870 has been explored (Fletcher et al. Infect Immun 2004, 72:2088-1200). There was no apparent interference in the antibody responses to the two antigens when the combination vaccine was given to mice. However, the recombinant combination required restoration of conformation PorA epitopes, which are necessary for eliciting ant-PorA bactericidal antibodies (See, for example, Christodoulides et al, Microbiology, 1998; 144: 3027-37 and Muttilainen et al, Microb Pathog 1995; 18:423-36). Also, the combination recombinant vaccine was not shown to enhance anti-GNA1870 bactericidal antibodies against N. meningitidis strains expressing subvariants of the GNA1870 protein used in the vaccine.
O'Dwyer et al. (Infect Immun 2004; 72:6511-80) describes preparation of an outer membrane vesicle (OMV) vaccine from a commensal N. flavescens strain that was genetically engineered to express Neisserial surface protein A (NspA), a highly conserved meningococcal membrane protein vaccine candidate that is not naturally-expressed by N. flavescens. The immunized mice developed NspA-specific serum opsonophagocytic activity. Also, after absorption of antibodies to the OMV, the residual anti-NspA antibodies conferred passive protection to mice given a lethal challenge of an encapsulated N. meningitidis strain. However, the antibodies elicited by the modified N. flavescens OMV vaccine in this study were not shown to give superior protection to those elicited by the OMV from N. flavescens that did not express the heterologous antigen. Also, the modified N. flavescens OMV did not elicit serum bactericidal antibody responses whereas in previous studies, mice immunized with recombinant NspA expressed in E. coli vesicles (Moe et al. Infect Immun 1999; 67:5664-75; Moe et al. Infect Immun 2001; 69:3762-71), or reconstituted in liposomes (Martin et al. In: Thirteenth International Pathogenic Neisseria Conference. Oslo: Nordberg Aksidenstrykkeri A S, 2002), developed serum bactericidal antibody. PCT publication No. WO 02/09746 and US Publication No. US 20040126389 also describes OMV prepared from strains engineered to over-express a Neisserial antigen, with NspA, Omp85, pili (PilQ, PilC), PorA, PorB, Opa, Tbp2, TbpA, TbpB, Hsf, PldA, HasR, FrpA/C, FrpB, Hap, LbpA/LbpB, FhaB, lipo02, MltA, and ctrAi listed as specific examples of such antigens.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of prior art approaches to vaccination and elicits protective immunity against a broad spectrum of Neisseria meningitidis strains, notably (but not exclusively) including strains belonging to serogroup B.